Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1887-05-18
ON THE CONGO.
A Land Reported to be Flowing With
Milk and Honey.

A Land Reported to be Flowing With
Milk and Honey.
I The hundreds of beautiful islands OF
he Congo, some of them ten to twenty
miles long, are as rich if not richer than
The main land, says Lieutenant Taunt
IN his report concerning his recent expe.
lition to Africa. As rule, both main
and and islands are covered with dense
forests, in which are to be found the
rubber. gum copal, palm and other val
liable trees. On the the mainland are
occasional stretches of immense pla-
teaus, which the elephant, buffalo and
other game use for feeding grounds.
The islands above Bangala are covered
with thousands of the valuable oil palm
I.rees.
The Congo abounds in most excellent
food fish, which form staple article of
food on the upper river. The natives
seldom eat the fish when fresh, but
smoke or dry them. The man-eating
crocodile is met with throughout the
river, and in the region Of the islands
and sandbanks the hippopotami are
found. / have frequently met herds of
Fifteen or twenty of these beasts playing
in the river. If disturbed in their breed
ling season they will attack passing
lcanoeS and sometimes steamers. One
Iof the state launches has been badly
injured by the tusks of hippo.
OF the mineral wealth of the Congo
valley there can be no question. The
natives of all sections possess iron and
"copper" in large quantities. The knives
and spears are made of the iron and
decorated with copper. Their brass
ornaments are made from the matakoS
that they purchase in trade from the
whites.
saw no gold,or silver; the natives
10 not place any value on these metals.
1t has been reported that the Arabs
have found gold in small quantities in
The interior above, Stanley Falls.
The natives of the lower Congo are
armed with flint-lock muskets, but they
are almost harmless. They have no
idea of craftsmanship, and it is the ex-
:eption when man is killed in their
tribal wars. In October, 1885, between
NJ 'Bauza Mateke and Vivi, l was in
camp with nearly 600 of Makito's people
lone of the most powerful chiefs on the
lower river; these people were return
ing from the coast with rum, gin, etc,
but with my native caravan and one
other white man, L camped as peacefully
among these 600 natives as / could have
lone at Vivi. And again, one of the
English mission is living alone ut
4 aYnH hos haan for rnnnfhG fha
nearest white man being fifty miles
from him. The agents of the state
never travel with guard in the lower
country, and the state limits its cara-
vans to enough people for the transpor-
tation OF their camp equipage only. As
far rs | could leain, there is no case on
record during the last two years where
L white mans caravan has been moleSt-
ID on the lower river,
The BaSkungas are superstitiouS TO
the last degree; they rely for protection
On the fetch charms, aud the medicine
men of the tribes have great influence.
On the death of any person of note in
the village the poison test Is used. The
medicine man designate5 the man or
woman suspected of causing the death
by charm or witchcraft. The poison is
admistered, and if it acts rs an emitic
that signifies innocence; if on the con-
taary. it kills, the guilty one is punish
ed.
In some instances the laws of the
Baskungas are very stringent. Stealing
from each other is punished by death.
Fighting or disorder in the market
& cn,.fnrrcit- fAttt,i-ha1 aud IF
tireArm is used the punishment IS death.
The market place, which usually COW
ers some acres of ground, is used as the
place of execution, and 1t is not an
unusual sight to meet skeleton hang
ing and bleaching i'll the sun on the
outskirts of the market, or to find
broken musket driven into the ground,
which marks the spot where man has
been buried alive to his throat, his
brains dashed out, then covered and the
musket driven into his body. All this
to serve as warning to others not TO
use firearms in the market place.
The native food of the lower Congo
valley is principally peanuts and CHI
'quango made from the manioc root. J
On market days fowl, eggs, goat and
pork may be bought, and lin small guam
tities) sweet potatoes, peas, beans,
onions and bananas.
As a rule / did not find the lower
Congo people intemperate; the native
drink Is malafu or palm wine, which,
when fresh, is not at all intoxicating.
They are fond of rum and gin, and these
articles will go much farther in trade
than either cloth or beads. The native
caravans demand rum or gin as a por-
tion of their pay.
The woman are slaves, there being no
marriage laws.
Above Stanley Pool, and more par
ticularly above the mouth Of the kas-
sal river the natives are an entirely
different race, both physically and intel
lectually. The greater part of these
people are traders, and rich; they own
many slaves; in fact, a chief populates
his villages with slaves, the freemen of
the village being the members of his
own family. a singular fact Is that
slaves can in turn own slaves; in fact,